Many baby boomers, especially male baby boomers, can still recall the day that their mother threw out all of their comic books. How many fortunes were actually tossed into the rubbish heap by well meaning parents will never be fully known, however with the prices of old comic books at an all time market high, the figures would surely be staggering. Just one of the many comic titles from the 1960s in good condition could fetch hefty bids in online auctions at sites for selling comic books such as ebay. For example, Spiderman #1 in decent condition is worth approximately $3,500 on todays market. Green Lantern #1 from 1941 in good condition goes for $5,999 and X-Men #1 from 1963 for $4,999.
There are many factors that contribute to a comic books value and selling comic books depends on them. One important, and some would say the most important factor is how rare a comic book actually is. That means how many were printed and sold and how many remain on the market today. Some comic books were over produced by their publishers, especially after the 1960s when comic collecting became very popular. Those overly mass produced titles do not have the same worth as, say, Incredible Hulk #1 from the early 1960s which today goes for over $9000 on ebay. All in all, Silver Age comic books (Marvel Comics from the early 1960s) and Golden Age comics (DC titles from the 40s and 50s) go for far more than any other published comics mainly because of their rarity.
All comics are graded for condition from Poor, Fair, Good, Very Good, Excellent, to Mint. Mint condition means that the comic book was probably never touched or opened and has no noticeable wear and tear. Wear and tear is especially noticeable on the spine, which tends to get crinkled when opened too much and in missing or torn pages, or other markings such as writing or staining. Covers are very valuable and even if the inside of the book has some problems such as yellowing or staining, if the cover is sharp and intact the book can retain a lot of its value.
There is a service called CGC (Certified Guaranty Company) that does comic book grading, restoring, and encapsulating. You send your comic via overnight delivery such as UPS or FedEx and CGC will receive it at their offices and review the book. CGC will rate the comic book as to exact condition based on the most stringent and current industry standards, then encapsulate the title in a tamper-proof plastic holder which is marked with a CGC seal and certification. The holder provides long-term protection for the book and ensures any buyer or anyone selling comic books that the transaction is legitimate. The CGC is the accepted standard which persons selling comic books in the comic collecting industry use for certification and authentication purposes. Almost all the pricey titles from people selling comic books on ebay are certified in this fashion.
Can anyone truly estimate how many incredible fortunes were tossed away by obsessive compulsive mothers? Perhaps not, but many baby boomers are still crying about it forty years later.